Find answers to questions on Dr. Sweat, Excessive Sweating and more

Sweating is completely natural. We need it to regulate our body temperature (thermoregulation). Sweat is a cooling response that typically occurs in reaction to physical or environmental triggers like heat, stress, and movement.

There are two types of sweat glands in the body: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands are responsible for secreting water-based sweat. The evaporation of this type of sweat helps the body to cool off. Apocrine glands, found near hair follicles, produce an oily and odorless secretion that reacts with bacteria to cause body odor. Sweat is a natural process and can occur due to numerous external stimuli – heat, stress and movement.

On average, we lose about 1 liter of sweat per day all over the body, but most of it evaporates quickly and is virtually unnoticeable.  Sweat can increase up to 10 times under very hot conditions or vigorous exercise.We need sweat to regulate our body’s temperature. If and when we get too hot, our body sweats to help us cool down.

Sweat is a cooling response that typically occurs in reaction to physical or environmental triggers including heat, stress, and movement.

Excessive sweating occurs when someone sweats even without the triggers of heat, stress or physical activity. Only 1% of people who experience excessive sweating also have a medical condition called hyperhidrosis. This is thought to occur as a result of overactive sweat glands, but the exact cause is unknown.

Sweat in itself is odorless. We sweat all over our bodies, a natural function that starts from birth.

Body odor only starts to occur at puberty due to a change in our hormones. These hormones lead to the growth of body hair and associated apocrine sweat glands. Certain bacteria ever-present on our skin break down sweat from the apocrine glands to use as energy. This reaction results in body odor. These odors are most present in the underarm, feet, and groin areas where we trap heat and sweat.

Dr. Sweat’s pre-soaked underarm pads contain 15% aluminum chloride for the highest sweat protection available without a prescription. Dr. Sweat’s formula is activated by underarm moisture to create a sweat-preventing barrier on the skin’s surface. This significantly reduces the amount of perspiration reaching the skins surface for up to 7 days.

There are many antiperspirant deodorants in the market with different aluminum formulations that vary in efficacy. Dr. Sweat contains the strongest sweat-preventing active ingredient available: aluminum chloride.

Although safe and effective, aluminum chloride deodorants can be irritating to skin and is recommended for those who need extra sweat protection.

Dr. Sweat’s antiperspirant efficacy increases with consistent use so apply regularly for better results. Some people see great results after the first application. Others may need to apply the product for a few weeks.

For best results, we recommend applying 3 times within the first week. After that, you can apply weekly or as needed. 

It’s a common misunderstanding that antiperspirants and deodorants act in the same way, and the terms are often used interchangeably because they tackle similar problems.

In fact, here’s how they work: Antiperspirants prevent sweating and odor, while Deodorants only work to reduce odor.

Learn more about the differences between deodorant and antiperspirant. 

Use Dr. Sweat Clinical Strength Antiperspirant Pads at night once a week or as needed.

Apply to clean and completely dry underarms. To prevent irritation, use a dry towel or blow dryer on a cool setting to dry underarms.  Press or dab Dr. Sweat pad firmly to skin; do not rub. One pad contains one application for both underarms. Let air dry. Dispose pad in trash after use (do not flush) and wash your hands before going to bed.

PRO TIP: During the first week of use, apply Dr. Sweat's underarm pads up to 3 times for best results, then apply weekly or as needed.

The day after application you can shower again and use your regular fragrance. Dr. Sweat doesn’t require layering with a daily antiperspirant or deodorant to work.

This is because at night while the body is at rest sweat glands are least active and skin is more receptive to Dr. Sweat.

Aluminum Chloride is extremely effective at preventing sweat but can be irritating to the skin, which is why it's typically recommended for excessive sweaters. You may experience some irritation or itching. To reduce the risk of irritation it is important you follow mode of use indicated on pack. Follow these tips to achieve best product experience:

- Take your time to make sure the skin is completely dry before application. You can use a dry towel or a blow dryer on the cool setting to make sure the skin is completely dry.

- Do not rub the pad onto the skin. Instead pat or dab the pad when applying. 

- Do not use after shaving. Wait 48 hours post-shaving to apply Dr. Sweat.

- Do not use on broken or irritated skin.

- Stop use and ask a doctor if rash or irritation occurs. Irritation can also be treated with a topical hydrocortisone cream. 

Hair should not reduce Dr. Sweat efficacy if product is properly applied on skin.

Hair can have an impact on body odour, as it allows sweat to get trapped and may increase body odour.

The product has been specifically developed for your underarms.

Dr. Sweat works by stopping sweat in the sweat gland below the skin surface, so shaving the surface layer of your skin should not impact the effectiveness of the antiperspirant. Since shaving irritates the skin, we do recommend waiting 48 hours after shaving before reapplying Dr. Sweat again.

For tips on how to reduce skin irritation, please read information above titled "How to prevent irritation from aluminum chloride".

While a single application of Dr. Sweat should reduce sweat for up to 7 days on its own, you may choose to layer it with other antiperspirants and deodorants for additional odor protection throughout the week. This is completely safe. Since our formula is fragrance free, you can layer on your favorite fragrance, deodorant, or antiperspirant throughout the week if needed.

Dr. Sweat is clinically-proven to reduce sweat for 7 days. What does that mean? That means we've conducted clinical testing in a hot room, where we compared sweat production in treated and untreated underarms and found a significant difference in sweat reduction after one week of use. The method allows to evaluate how effective our antiperspirant product is in reducing the amount of sweat consumers produce over a set period of time in controlled conditions.

Using Dr. Sweat as per instructions will last 2 months.

Learn more about Dr. Sweat's clinical testing.